Minority Pasts

Minority Pasts explores the diversity of the histories and identities of Muslims in Rampur-the last Muslim-ruled princely state in colonial United Provinces and a city that is pejoratively labelled as the centre of "Muslim votebank" politics in contemporary Uttar Pradesh. The book highlights the importance of locality and emotions in shaping Muslim identities, politics, and belonging in Rampur. The book shows that we need to move beyond such homogeneous categories of nation and region, in order to comprehend local dynamics that allow a better and closer understanding of the historical re-negotiations of politics and identities by Muslims in South Asia. This is the first comprehensive English-language monograph on the local history and politics of Rampur princely state, based on Persian, Pashto, Urdu, Hindi, and English archives and oral histories of Rampuris. The book provides insights into the various facets of the political, economic, religious, literary, socio-cultural, and affective history of Rampur and Rampuris in India and Pakistan.